Spring Update

This spring has been an interesting one for sure. We are now seeing many rivers and streams flowing higher than usual and the long term forecast is calling for more rain. Many of the rivers up north are near flood stage and are very dangerous to even think about fishing or boating.  Use extreme caution in choosing your next location for a spring fishing trip.  When the water is too high in the rivers I rely on lakes and ponds that will be fishing well right after ice out.  In southern Maine one of the first lakes to open up is Sebago Lake and it therefore receives a lion share of the fishing pressure early. I have to say we were one of the first if not the first boat to launch from Sebago Lake State Park as they had just put in the dock the morning of April 5th and just a few hours later we had launched.  There was also some ice that they had to break up to put the dock in that did not look disturbed as we put in.  If you plan to fish this location on the weekend during the month of April just be prepared to be there early and wait in line to launch.  It is not until other bodies of water become open that the fishing pressure on Sebago subsides.  This was clearly evident as there was only a fraction of the boats at the launch this past weekend that we normally see.

For this particular trip Linc and Heath wanted to experience Sebago Lake and around early May the fishing usually picks up.  As the water temperature increases the salmon activity does as well.  In the week leading up to this trip we observed pods of smelt dimpling the surface of the water in the many coves and eddies on the Songo River.  With the trip a week away we thought that the run would be over and the smelt would have dispersed back into the lake.  On the morning of the trip as I beached at the Songo Lock Pool there had been a massive run of smelt overnight.  The water was full of them and did not spell great opportunities for hooking up with a salmon with the sheer mass of feed available for them. We had planned on spending the majority of our day on the lake, but after lunch I wanted them to take a crack at the salmon and brook trout that were in the river.  Before the smelt run the fishing is usually pretty good up there and is not a secret to anglers in the know.  This just meant that we would improvise and make due with what we had.

At the beginning of our trip the lake was a little rough with a wind that was coming from the southern part of the lake. Throughout the day this became a sustained wind and made boat control a challenge.  The skies were also overcast with an occasional shower and periodic breaks of sun.  As for our tackle we made it very simple, especially for this time of the year. We use live bait mainly during this early part of the year while the smelt are making their spawning runs.  Instead of sewing bait on we now utilize sliding bait rigs to fish our live bait.  No more taking the sewing needle out and tying line and re-attaching them.  It is easy and, more importantly, anyone can do it.  After Heath hooked up with a nice lake trout I walked him through the process and had him attach his own bait.  Normally I would take care of all issues such as that, but with the increasing swells I needed to keep my focus on maintaining control over the boat.  I also think it is as important to teach while guiding so that each client can come away with a little more knowledge than they had before.

As we began our day we had four lines out all with live bait attached.  We had two lead core lines with three colors out each, which would be an average of 15 to 20 feet deep depending on numerous factors such as speed and the weight of the lure or bait.  For those of you new to this type of fishing, lead core lines have different colors for each 10 yards of line so you can keep track of the depth that you are fishing at.  You have to experiment with speed and weights to get a better feel for how deep your line is going, but a general rule of thumb is for each color out the line should sink around 6 feet.  We also had one trolling sinking fly line and one level line or regular bait casting rod with monofilament line to cover the top of the water column.  Many times in the spring the salmon will cruise right under the surface looking for bait while other times they will be a little deeper.  This year we have been successful around the 15 foot mark.  This proved true very quickly as shortly after Linc and Heath both dropped their baits down to 15 feet they both had hits from salmon.  Both came off, but this quick action is also very indicative of how fishing this time of year can be.  You have to cover water to ensure that you can pick off passing salmon that are cruising looking for a meal.  Granted we have spots that produce better than others.  Do not be afraid to check out a different spot and play around with different depths to fish at.  You never know until you try.

Before we headed up river to lunch we were trolling along the transition line from the beach to a depth of 30 to 40 feet. Many times there are larger fish that move up into the shallower water looking for an easier meal and seeing that the smelt were in the river this phenomenon had a higher chance of probability.  Salmon are not the only game fish looking for an easy meal as the lake trout give up the comforts of the their deep haunts and also move up onto the beach.  My first lake trout on this lake was taken from shore casting a tandem 9-3 streamer on a 5 weight rod with a full sinking line, which shows how shallow they will be during the early part of spring.  Casting a tandem streamer on a fly rod takes extra effort and skill, especially into a strong wind, but it can be done.  If you have a depth finder look for changes in depth and also unique structures where fish will hold around. As we passed over a small rise on the bottom Heath hooked up with a nice lake trout. It was nice to put it all together and we boated our first laker of the day.

Lunch brought with it some great tasting homemade food and a welcome break from the waves and winds.  The day before I, with my father-in-law Frank, prepared biscuits, baked beans and fish chowder.  For those of you that know Frank would understand that he did most of the work and I helped, but he does this because he absolutely loves it.  The biggest point here is that with any trip we cannot control the fishing, but we sure can control the quality of the food.  If nothing else you will walk away with a full belly.  We always make sure that we prepare food that you will enjoy.  Just taking a break gives you more energy and helps you refocus on what you need to do for the rest of the day.  I do not think I could fish all day long without a decent break and some good food.

After lunch we spent some time at the Lock Pool with no success, so we made the decision to head back to the lake. Usually most anglers stop fishing by noon during this time of the year and I knew we would have the area to ourselves.  With larger waves now on the lake I made the decision to stay closer to the outer markers and troll the transition line from 6 to 30 feet. What I did notice very quickly was the higher number of lake trout that had worked their way up into shallower water from the morning.  After we got a strike on one of our lines I decided to circle around and make another pass over the same area.  As we trolled over a point that rose to a depth of 12 feet Linc said that he felt like he snagged bottom.  I had Linc reel in his line and noticed that he was gaining line so at least we would not have to turn around if he was snagged.  That all changed when the line started to move away from the boat.  When I first saw the fish I knew it was a lake trout and a decent one at that. Fighting the waves and landing this fish made this experience even more rewarding.  It was a great way to end the trip and I knew it would make a great story of how Linc hooked into a log that became the biggest fish he had ever caught.